(Dili, 7 August) The Executive Director of UNIFEM [the UN Fund for
Women], Noeleene Heyser, yesterday paid tribute to Timorese women who
suffered much as victims of conflict but who kept their spirit intact. Her
remarks followed her visit to Maushiga [Ainaro district] on Tuesday, when
she met for several hours with the village’s residents. “Some of the
women there still have wounds, still have bullets lodged in their bodies.
But what impressed me most was their spirit. They are not bitter, they
just want to see access to schools, to health care, and for them, that
will mean that the fight was worth it”, says Ms. Heyser.

She chose to visit Maushiga because women from the village had recently
taken part in a CAVR [Commission on Reception, Truth and Reconciliation]
hearing on women and conflict. It is also a village where the whole
community is very supportive of the women.

Ms. Heyser was in Timor-Leste to launch the book “Women, War, Peace”,
an independent assessment of the impact of armed conflict on women and of
women’s role in peace-building, commissioned by UNIFEM.

After the launch [Wednesday morning], she and RDTL’s President Xanana
Gusmão chaired a panel discussion on the challenges for Timorese women in
peacetime, co-organised by the Peace and Democracy Foundation. The women
who took part in the discussion highlighted the lack of jobs, concern for
security after UNMISET leaves Timor-Leste, concern over PNTL [Timorese
police force] behaviour and over prostitution as key issues.

Ms. Heyser met with the RDTL President, Prime-Minister Mari Alkatiri
and other senior government officials, as well as with Timorese women’s
groups, UNMISET, UN agencies and members of the diplomatic community
before ending her 3-day visit early this afternoon.